Fallball 2011: Albany Great Danes Check-In

The 2012 season is bringing with it high expectations for head coach Scott Marr and the Albany Great Danes. After going 5-10 in 2011 and finishing winless (5-0) in the America East, the Danes can only improve on their in-conference performance. But the program has made significant changes, brings on some new faces and returns a group of players who want to push Albany to the top of the college ranks in 2012.

“Our expectations are pretty high,” said senior attackman Joe Resetarits. “Everyone on the team feels like we need to set high standards and work on the little things more. We’ve had the talent in years past, but we haven’t had the greatest results. But this year, everyone is holding themselves accountable, looking to be more disciplined, trying to get better and working hard in practice every day.”

The Danes haven’t finished with a winning record since 2007, when the team went 15-3 and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. After back-to-back five-win seasons, in which Albany was plagued by injuries, the team is working this fall to ensure that 2012 doesn’t end in disappointment and that a unique mix of talent isn’t squandered.

“The biggest thing for us was the energy, the chemistry and the work ethic we’ve seen in the fall,” Marr said. “Those three things are what we’re most excited about heading into the season.”

COACHING CHANGES

With the departure of assistants Bill Ralph and Chris Kivlen, the team welcomed two new assistants to the program this fall in Liam Gleason, a former Albany defender, and Eric Wolf, a former midfielder for the Danes who served as an assistant at Siena for three years. Marr is optimistic about what his two new assistants have already brought to the team.

“They’ve both just brought a tremendous amount of energy to the program,” Marr said.

Marr said appointing Gleason defensive coordinator and Wolf offensive coordinator has allowed him to focus on head coaching duties. Marr, who had been in charge of the Albany offense until this season, said his two new coordinators are helping the team essentially revamp its offense and, perhaps more importantly, its defensive system.

“We’ve pretty much gone back to square one on defense,” Marr said. “We’ve really simplified how we approach playing one-on-one, how we approach team defense and slides. We’re getting back to basics, playing more with our feet, dictating the pace of play and forcing slides to come from certain areas.”

TOP DOGS

Resetarits returns to the Danes lineup for his senior campaign after leading the team in scoring last season, posting 31 goals and 13 assists. He suited up over the summer with the Brampton Excelsiors of Major Series Lacrosse, Senior A-level box in Ontario considered by some to be the toughest circuit in the sport.

“Learning from guys like Dan Dawson and Zach Greer, and then playing against guys like John Grant Jr., I saw the leadership and what guys do to prepare mentally and physically,” said Resetarits, who was a standout indoor Junior A player for the St. Catharines Saints.

Resetarits, whose older brother Frank was a star attackman at Albany before him, became an important part of the Excelsiors during the summer playoff stretch, netting 4 goals and an assist in an 8-5 win over rival Peterborough. Brampton went on to win the coveted Mann Cup, though Joe wasn’t able to attend the championship week in Langley, British Columbia, due to scheduling conflicts.

The Danes haven’t selected any captains yet, as Marr believes that forces players to step outside of their normal frame of mind. The coaches advised the seniors that it’s everyone’s team, with the hope that leadership would rise to the occasion.

Resetarits, a dangerous dodger and shooter since his arrival at Albany, emerged as one of the team’s guiding forces this fall.

“No doubt, Joe’s been that leader,” Marr said. “Joe’s kind of taken over and he’s been great. His energy level has always been so high, but this year it’s even higher than what it’s been. With him not making it to the playoffs and having injuries in two years, including missing a red shirt by one game, it’s been tough for him. He’s excited about where we’re headed this season. He’s going to be a leader for us and has really stepped up.”

Though they’re only sophomores, Iroquois cousins Miles and Ty Thompson, both starters last season, are already key pieces of the Danes’ offense. Miles, who Marr said returns in the greatest shape of his career, finished his freshman outing with 29 goals and 12 assists. Ty registered 26 goals and 4 assists in 2011.

“It’s interesting and funny the way they are so good together,” Marr said of the Thompson cousins. “When they’re on different teams, they’re still very good players, but they just seem to bring something out in each other, knowing where each other is going to be, hitting each other with the spot feeds and all the nifty stuff that comes up.”

Miles has become a motor driving the Danes’ offense, Marr said.

“Miles makes us go, in a way,” Marr said. “He’s a great feeder. He has very, very good vision and can see the backside. He leads guys on passes and is good at reading when a guy will be open.”

This fall, Marr said the two attackmen came to the coaching staff with questions about improving their games. Miles talked with the coaches about getting the ball in and out of his stick quicker, avoiding defensive traps, reaching 5X5 more consistently and making speedier decisions.

Ty, a lefty, expressed an interest in becoming more of a ball carrier while out on the wing, working more from X and developing his split dodge to his right hand.

“It was nice to see them coming back and wanting to set goals for themselves and work on things,” Marr said. “When they came here, they came here to compete for America East championships, so they aren’t resting on having good freshman seasons. Those guys embraced that they were good last year, but they want to get better. … With those three guys – Joe, Miles and Ty – we want to be able to rotate them, because they can all be inside guys, they can all finish and they can all pass.”

Other players expected to lead the Danes in 2012 include middies Keith Olson and Rocky Bonitatibus. Olson (.468) won 129 of 269 draws last season. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery, but his presence is expected to be a huge one for the Danes in 2012. Bonitatibus is expected to slide onto the first midfield line after appearing in 13 contests last season and registering 7 goals and 11 assists.

While the Albany attack line includes a trio of talented returnees, the team’s defense also welcomes back experience from last year’s squad. Senior Travis Lyons, a 6-2, 215-pound Farmingdale native, has been a starter for the last three seasons and returns to anchor a Danes backline that Marr is confident will show improvements from last season.

“We think the world of Travis,” Marr said. “He does it all: picks off passes and shots, he’s a good leader and he’s very grounded. He’s level-headed and has a good demeanor for being a leader on our defense. He’s also very involved in transition and clearing.”

Juniors Jack Nickla and Anthony Ostrander and sophomore Cody Futia provide new defensive coordinator Gleason with plenty of skill and game sense to work with in his first year.

“The guys on defense know it, too. We just gave up too many goals the last couple of years,” Marr said. “With me back to a role of being coach again and having coordinators, I’m going to both ends to see what’s going on. … It’s been fun to watch Liam take the defense and run it how he wants it to run.”

FRESH FACES

He might be a fresh face on the Division I scene, but Lyle Thompson’s presence on the Albany midfield will be no secret, and he’ll have his first opportunity to showcase his talents when the Danes open up the 2012 season against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome in late February.

The freshman from Onondaga Nation joined his brother Miles and his cousin Ty this fall, showing the coaching staff and roster members just why he sits atop the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshmen Rankings. Marr said the youngest of the four Thompson brothers is in position to make a major impact in his first college season.

“He’s good – there’s no question,” Marr said. “At times, it almost looks effortless. He glides and moves so well. He has that vision and the skills to make the right passes and right decisions, so it’s been fun to watch.”

In the Dane’s scrimmage against Hobart on Oct. 15, Marr said Lyle quickly made his presence felt, juking several defenders, making his way to the crease and flipping an underhand pass to Resetarits for an easy finish early in the contest.

The coach expects the youngest Thompson to start at midfield, likely taking a good number of face-offs, if he’s not on the wing, throughout the season.

“I’ve never seen a kid get the ball off the ground like he does,” Marr said. “It’s amazing. … Lyle’s a dynamic player. He brings everything to the game. He plays all over the field. His transition game is ridiculous. When he’s playing in a settled offense, it comes back to the unselfish part of his game in that he forces everyone around him to get better. They have to anticipate the ball and be paying attention. It’s sort of like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson in basketball.”

The Danes will look to other young players to help fill out the roster this season.

Marr was impressed during the fall with the play of a corps of young middies. Freshmen Matt Garziano, Tim Cox, Derek Eccles and Matthew Bertrams have all displayed athleticism and a positive work ethic.

“We’ll be looking more to the older guys to start out with, but we can build some more depth as the season goes along,” Marr said.

KEY BATTLES

The major battle taking place in the Danes camp this fall was in the cage, where sophomore Edmund Cathers and senior John Carroll were dueling for the starting job. Cathers returns after starting all but one contest last season, finishing with an 11.44 GAA and stopping .531 of shots on goal. Carroll appeared in nine games and made 23 saves on 80 shots faced. Carroll was Albany’s starter in 2010, when he closed the season with an 11.33 GAA and a .514 save percentage.

Cathers possesses tremendous stick skills, even able to join the man-up unit if need be, but Marr said Carroll has come on strong this fall.

“John has had a very good fall,” Marr said. “He’s played very, very well. There’s something about being a senior, and it’s just clicked in for him. He’s been real positive with a good demeanor. It’s been neat to see that.”

Marr said Cathers and Carroll are both proven talents and a decision on the starter wouldn’t be determined for some time.

“There’s been a good battle between those two guys,” he said. “We’d be pretty happy either way to have either guy in the goal.”

Playing time is also up for grabs at the long stick midfield position, where Marr has both upperclassmen and young players competing for time.

Junior Dean Steinmann, who came in as a short stick middie, moved to long pole and is in the running for time at LSM.

“A couple years ago, we needed a long pole in practice and he came to us,” Marr said. “We like the transformation.”

Sophomore Dough Eich came in as a dual-use player, able to play long and short. The coaches have moved him back to long stick midfield and anticipate that Eich could share time there in the spring. Freshman Mike Miller, a player from Six Nations with outstanding stick skills, is expected to be the third long stick.

The LSM position, Marr said, will give the coaches the opportunity to rotate more guys onto the field, including 6-3, 225-pound sophomore defender Jonathan Newhouse, who is also in the mix for time on defense.

NO “CROOKED ARROWS” DISTRACTION

With all of the attention surrounding the production of the forthcoming “Crooked Arrows” film, Albany lacrosse received some extra buzz this fall, as all three of the Thompsons are featured in the full-length feature film.

What might have been a distraction to some programs only helped motivate the Thompsons upon their return, Marr said.

“They’re such humble kids,” he said. “They don’t flaunt anything. They don’t let anything get to them. It’s in their nature to be easy going. … It was neat for them to be involved in that movie. The game is very important to them and their heritage, so it was important that they were a part of it. But they came back wanting to get better and wanting to figure out how to integrate Lyle into the system.”

Inside Lacrosse has been checking in with teams all fall. For more check-ins and complete coverage, click here.